1. Chinese Traditional Festivals
zhōnɡɡuó chuántǒnɡ jiérì
中 国 传 统 节 日
Chinese Traditional Festivals

2. Can you name one or two Chinese festivals?

3. zhōnɡɡuó chuántǒnɡ jiérì 中 国 传 统 节 日
Chūnjié
春 节 Spring festival / Chinese New Year
Yuánxiāo jié
元 宵 节 Lantern Festival
Duānwǔ jié
端 午 节 Dragon-boat Festival
Zhōnɡqiū jié
中 秋 节 Mid-autumn Festival
Chónɡyánɡ jié
重 阳 节 Double ninth festival

4. zhōnɡɡuó chuántǒnɡ jiérì 中 国 传 统 节 日
The three greatest traditional festivals of China :
Chūnjié
1、春 节 Spring festival / Chinese New Year
Yuánxiāo jié
2、元 宵 节 Lantern Festival
Zhōnɡqiū jié
3、中 秋 节 Mid-autumn Festival

5. Chūnjié 春 节 Spring festival

6. Chūnjié 春 节 The Spring festival
Chinese celebrate festivals based on the lunar calendar（阴历） dating back thousands of years.
The most popular favorite is Lunar New Year, Since it occurs at the end of the winter and the beginning of spring, people also call it the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival, which falls on the first day of the first lunar month.

7. Chūnjié 春 节 The Spring festival
The origin of “Nian”
Chinese generally refer to the celebration of the spring festival as “ɡuò nián ” (过年) .
A legendary vicious beast called “Nián” lived in the deep sea who would emerge from the waters at the turn of the year to destroy crops and harm people and cattle.
One day, when it went into a village, “Nián” was scared by a piece of red clothing hanging by the entrance of a house. It tried elsewhere, was scared off by lights and ran away.

8. Chūnjié 春 节 The Spring festival
The origin of “Nian”
People came to conclusion that this “Nián” must be afraid of loud noise, the colour red and fire. At the turn of every year from then on, people would post red paper couplets at their doors, set off fire crackers, hang red lanterns, burn firewood and chop meat and vegetables as way to expel this devilish beast.

9. Chūnjié 春 节 The Spring festival
Traditional customs on the Spring Festival:
Chinese have many traditional customs relating to the Spring Festival. Since the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, people start to prepare for the event.
Every family will undertake thorough cleaning, does their Spring Festival shopping, create paper-cuts for window decoration, put up New Year pictures, write Spring Festival couplets, make New Year cakes, and also prepare all kinds of food.

10. Jì zàoshén 祭 灶 神 Sacrifice to the Kitchen God
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, one lunar month is the period of time (about 29.5 days) which the moon takes to go round the Earth. The 23rd day in the 12th lunar month was the day to offer sacrifices to the kitchen god in old times.

11. In Chinese myth, the kitchen god was in charge of the kitchen
In Chinese myth, the kitchen god was in charge of the kitchen. And his duty went beyond the kitchen—he was said to be the envoy sent by the Jade Emperor in heaven to record the merits and the demerits of people on earth, returning on the 23rd day of the 12th month to report to the Jade Emperor. So on that day, every household would offer sacrifices to him.

12. Tiē ménshén 贴 门 神 Post The door-gods
The door-gods represent two generals: Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong.
The legend goes that Li shiming, the founding Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, became ill and had a nightmare in which he heard the howling and screaming of ghosts. The next day he recounted his bad dream to his subordinates, and Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, stood guard by his door through the night, that night, he has no nightmare.

13. Tiē ménshén 贴 门 神 Post The door-gods
As the emperor didn’t want his generals to guard his door all the time and so he had artists paint pictures of the two: later known as door-gods, and hang them above the entrance of his palace
Later, the common people took up this idea and starting posting pictures of door-gods during the Chinese New Year in order to ward off evil spirits.

14. tiē nián huà 贴 年 画 Post New Year pictures
The New Year pictures are those put up in the room for a happy and festive atmosphere, with themes ranging from good harvest and good luck to chubby baby

15. Tiē chūnlián 贴 春 联 Paste New Year couplets
Pasted on gateposts or door panels, New Year couplets are red scroll papers bearing auspicious phrases.
“Peaceful times day in day out.
Pleasant springtime year after year”

16. Chúxī 除 夕 New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is the time for a happy reunion of all family members, when they sit around the table to have a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner, talking and laughing, until daybreak, which is called “staying up to see the year out”
shǒu suì
守 岁

17. niányè fàn 年 夜 饭 The banquet on New Year’s Eve
On the eve of the Chinese New Year, all members of the family will come together over a dinner. At the dinner, everyone—young and old—must take a sip of rice wine, imparting a warm glow in all, as if spring has come.
Watching Chinese spring festival gala

18. Chī jiǎozi 吃 饺 子 Eat dumplings
When the bell tolls midnight on New Year’s Eve, people eat dumplings.
In ancient times, midnight was called zishi (a period of the day from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.). Dumplings (jiaozi) are eaten because it sounds the same as “change of the year and the day” in Chinese.

19. How to make dumplings

20. Dumplings are made into the shape of gold ingots to represent good fortune.
Candies, coins, peanuts, dates and chestnuts are also put random inside some of the dumplings: the lucky person who eat the candy dumpling will have a happy life in the year to come; whoever eats the coin dumplings will have enough money to spend, peanuts symbolize long life, dates and chestnuts are
signs of soon
having a son.

21. Chī jiǎozi 吃 饺 子 Eat dumplings
Traditionally，dumplings are the only dish served in the first five days of the New year, as in Chinese the words “stir-fry” and to ”quarrel” are both pronounced “chǎo”. This is why people avoid cooking during the first week of the Lunar New year as they don’t want to use that word to their loved ones.

22. niánɡāo 年 糕 New Year Sticky Rice Cake
In southern China, in addition to dishes of chicken, duck, fish and meat, there’re different kinds of dim sum snacks.
Sticky cake made of glutinous flour— the stickier the better— is something that must served around the New Year. In Chinese, the words sound the same as “ascending every year”, indicating success.

23. Niánnián yǒu yú 年 年 有 余
Another “must”dish on the festive table is fish, again, because of the pronunciation. In Chinese the words 鱼“fish” and余 “surplus”
sounds same. So those
who have had fish on the
festivals might find wealth
in the coming year.

24. fànɡ biānpào 放 鞭 炮 firecrackers
The New Year arrives at the midnight, in old times, the first thing people did on this first morning of the new year was to light firecrackers and burn incense as a way of welcoming the gods and worshipping their ancestors.

25. fànɡ biānpào 放 鞭 炮 firecrackers
Setting off firecrackers is the favorite activity of children in the Spring Festival. According to legend, this could drive off evil spirits. The continuous sound of firecrackers can be heard everywhere,
adding to the atmos-
-phere of rejoicing
and festivity.

26. Originally, bamboo, not firecrackers, was burnt as a way to celebrate the New Year. When bamboo burns, it expands and cracks, making a loud crackle. Firecrackers were a later invention, using gunpowder packed into bamboo stem at first, and it was not until much later that bamboo was replaced by tightly rolled paper tubes.
Firecrackers enhance the festival atmosphere of Chinese New Year and bring endless pleasure, especially children.

27. bài nián 拜 年 Pay a new year respects
On New Year’s Day, everyone —young and old, man and woman—put on their new clothes and visit the homes of relatives to pay their New Year respects. On this occasion, people bow to each other, uttering such greetings as “wish
you a prosperous year”
ɡōnɡxǐ fācái
恭 喜 发财

28. bài nián 拜 年 Pay a new year respects
From the first day of the lunar year, people pay New Year calls on relatives and friends, bringing along gifts. When they arrived the host gives them tea or a cigarette and they chat for a while before
leaving for the next
family.

29. yā suì qián 压 岁 钱 New Year gift money
Children utter New Years greetings to their elders, receiving in return red envelope containing New Year gift money (压岁钱) . Pockets full of gift money, the kids would buy firecrackers and their favorite goodies. On this day, no one works, it’s all just sitting around, chatting, eating well and playing as much as one pleases.

30. guàng miàohuì 逛 庙 会 temple fairs
Many places hold temple fairs. The wonderful dragon lantern dance and the lion dance performances, along with various handicraft articles and local snacks attract thousands of people.

31. wǔ shī 舞 狮 Lion-dance Lion-dance are very popular in southern China.
A lion-dance team consist of 7 to a dozen people, all are dressed alike to resemble warriors. The lion’s head is made up of paper which are brightly painted and draped with fabrics as colorful as the body of the lion.

32. One dancer holds the head and the others bend over, one holding the tail. To the beating of the drums, and with a guide directing the lion at the front, the dancers performs all kinds of movements—lion playing the silk ball.

33. To keep the tradition alive!
With the development of the times, some changes have taken place in the customs of spending the Spring Festival. For example, to prevent environmental pollution, many cities have banned firecrackers. But this does not have an impact of the festival. On New Year’s Eve, family members get together to have dinner while watching TV programs.

34. New words chūn jié Spring Festival chú xī New Year’s Eve ɡuò nián
春节 除夕 过年 门神 春联 年画
chūn jié
chú xī
ɡuò nián
mén shén
chūn lián
nián huà
Spring Festival
New Year’s Eve
Celebrate the Spring Festival
Door-god
New Year couplets
New Year pictures

35. 年夜饭 饺子 鞭炮 拜年
压岁钱 庙会 舞狮
nián yè fàn
jiǎo zi
biān pào
bài nián
yā suì qián
miào huì
wǔ shī
The dinner on New Year’s Eve
Dumplings
Firecracker
Pay a New year call
New Year gift money
Temple fair
Lion dance

36. Discussion what’s your favorite activity during spring festival?
Which part do you think is the weirdest custom?
What’s the biggest festival in Zimbabwe?
Does it share any similarity with the Spring Festival?

37. Topics
1、Festivals of Zimbabwe
2、The biggest festival in Zimbabwe